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Why Are Iconic Species Important?

Species harvested solely for economic or utilitarian purposes are not included, nor are habitat-forming species (mangroves, coral reefs, seagrass meadows, salt marshes), as they are assessed in association with other goals.

Global Goal Score

71

Likely Future State

*The estimate of a goal’s likely near-term future status is a function of four dimensions: Status, Trend, Pressure, and Resilience.

What Does This Score Mean?

The reference point for Iconic Species is that all relevant marine species are categorized as “least concern.” Least concern means that a species has been assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) or Global Marine Species Assessment (GMSA) and is not endangered, threatened, vulnerable or at risk of extinction.

A high score indicates that few to none of the iconic species in a country’s EEZ have been categorized by the IUCN as endangered, threatened or vulnerable. A low score indicates that many are in those categories.

Current Score

The current score indicates that iconic marine species are not as well protected as possible. Substantial conservation efforts will be required in order to improve the status of many iconic species that call the ocean home.

Some iconic species, such as baleen whales, have been successfully protected, and a number of small whales and dolphins, birds, fish, sea turtles and others have been protected in specific regions. Subsequent growth of these populations suggests that similar efforts could result in substantial improvements to this sub-goal score.

Status

Status refers to the current value of a goal relative to its goal-specific reference point. The reference point is the best condition for a goal that can reasonably be achieved; it is a target to aim for when taking actions to improve ocean health.

References

Lasting Special Places

Why Are Lasting Special Places Important?

The Lasting Special Places sub-goal focuses on geographic locations that are valuable to people for aesthetic, spiritual, cultural, recreational, or existence reasons.

Well-maintained and protected lasting special places provide culturally significant resources that can generate economic opportunities and help to sustain coastal communities.

The scores for this sub-goal are calculated based upon two assumptions: that all countries have roughly the same percentage of their coastal areas that qualify as lasting special places, and that the countries with the most protected areas are the closest to achieving their country-specific target.

Global Goal Score

52

Likely Future State

*The estimate of a goal’s likely near-term future status is a function of four dimensions: Status, Trend, Pressure, and Resilience.

What Does This Score Mean?

The reference point for Lasting Special Places is for a country protecting 30% of its coastal waters out to 3 nautical miles (nmi), as well as 30% of the strip of its shoreline extending from the high tide line to 1 km inland.

A high score indicates that a country is protecting at least the maximum global value for protected coastal areas. A score of zero would indicate that Special Places are not at all protected.

Current Score

The current score indicates that regions are far from achieving the reference point. Much more must be done to protect locations that contribute to Sense of Place and marine-related cultural identity.

Status

Status refers to the current value of a goal relative to its goal-specific reference point. The reference point is the best condition for a goal that can reasonably be achieved; it is a target to aim for when taking actions to improve ocean health.